"Being Biracial"

I suppose right now is the most opportune time to discuss my ethnic
background, since there hasn't been any event recently which has
sparked writing a Soapbox about it, but I think after close to twenty
years on this planet, I have experienced enough to at least initiate
a summation of what it is to be the Asian American/British person I am.

Some background: my parents are both English, but my mom is half-Chinese
and I of course pick up Scottish and Irish heritage. I think
that qualifies me as an acceptable wearer of a kilt, sweet Anna. ;) I've
grown up in a stable, supportive family and have attended comfortable
public schools which have provided me plenty of opportunities. I've
taken advanced courses my whole life and have gotten a good education.

How has this affected me on the surface, being a hybrid, a biracial
person? I don't think it's really affected me on a psychological level,
since I've always been accepted by my peers (thank God for being born
in the present day) and I've never really felt different because of
my ethnicity. I appear as a well-tanned individual with unclear family
roots. Some say I look Hispanic, but most observe that I'm part-Asian.
I have no accent, really, except the generic American accent which
doesn't really have any regional influence. My speech patterns have
been formed mostly by mass media, other children (who have of course
been watching plenty of television too), and by what I've read. Strangely,
I didn't pick up my parents' English accents. That is probably because
I was born in the States, not in England.

What's affected me far more at a superficial level is not what race
I am, but what social status I'm in. Taking advanced courses at rich
public schools means you're probably only going to know the upper crust
of your school, since the other students are pretty much invisible to
you. They have completely different classes and use different parts
of the school building. I don't know -- maybe it's different in other
schools. I basically knew all the Asians at my near 2000 student
high school, from one thing or another. It's inevitable. But I don't
appear Asian enough that people would ever say, "Oh, he gets good grades
because he's Asian." I never was identified as just an Asian. I'm
not really sure what I was identified as, by my peers. Maybe
I don't want to know.

Yes, these stereotypes exist. However, I've never seen any hate in any
stereotypical comments -- usually joking, in a flattering way, about
peoples' scholastic abilities and test scores.

So what I've established from my physical form is that I'm unidentifiable.
That's made my life more comfortable, since people are less likely to
immediately apply blatantly wrong stereotypes to me.

My parents didn't raise me under any specific customs. Our family's
more like the kind that recognizes holidays and rituals as they appear
on the American commercialism annual calendar -- no Asian holidays (I
really, really wouldn't mind celebrating Chinese New Year...) or religious
holidays. But Christmas? Thanksgiving? Sure.

It's amazing how indifferent I've been raised to my race -- I don't think
this is bad at all. I probably would have objected strenuously to any
attempts at keeping me in line with family religion. Religion, race,
color of skin, first impressions...all of that has never applied to me,
although my interest in that fact allows me to understand the importance
of each. Besides, being a biological member of several different races
and cultures has opened my mind to how different every culture is and
how they celebrate life differently.

Only until I started working on my site did I really think about my roots.
That was about the time I started filling out college applications,
and there's still the optional checkbox for which race you are. What
are hybrids like me supposed to check? Anglo American and
Asian American? Man, what a way to kill your acceptance letter chances. ;)

I started thinking about how much I enjoy being who I am, how
I've lived a life without being raised under the shelter of racial
ignorance and prejudice. I enjoy being biracial. Now that
I've come to recognize it and cherish it, I wouldn't trade it for
anything else.

Biologically, hybrids are supposed to be stronger and live longer
than a pure breed. Whether or not that completely applies to me,
my genepool is more varied than most, being a culmination of many
different races. I rarely get sick -- perhaps a few times a year --
and I'm in extremely good shape. I don't know how much of that
I can attribute to my genetics, but I know there's something
to be found in it.

There is individuality and uniqueness in being a hybrid, as well.
Not many others I've met have had the privilege of enjoying what I
have. I'm not sure of my Chinese heritage, but I'm fairly certain
I'm a descendant of pirates and royalty on my British side. There
is plenty more for me to explore when I look back to my family's
history and discussing my background always makes for an interesting
introductory discussion with new acquaintances and friends.

When I said I am unique and individual because of my being biracial,
that is becoming less and less true with every generation. Particularly
in the States and Canada, different races are rapidly overcoming
traditions of marrying only within one's race -- the number of mixed
couples is increasing dramatically and hybrids are becoming more numerous.
I am one of the first generations to go through this change in the
acceptance of different cultures. Science fiction and cyberpunk authors
have recognized all of this, I think: remember Hiro Protagonist from
Snow Crash? Biracial. Part-Asian, part-black, if I
remember correctly. What can I say? I'm a cyberpunk archetype who's
part Asian, heavily into the computer technology, and still appreciative
of the physical, active world. And I've got a kickass girlfriend who
has a deadly arsenal of weapons at her disposal. ;)

The gene pool will get more and more diverse as cultures mix in each
generation. What will eventually happen? Well, after many generations,
I suppose we'll need a new classification of races, redistributed to
geographic locations. Or perhaps there'll be one Terran race of some
sort, and then at that point, the gene pool will stop growing and it'll
begin to stagnate, leading to genetic defect issues and whatnot. Or
perhaps we'll evolve during that time and, well, now we've gone well
past the limits of this 'Box.

At any rate, now I understand the importance of my race in my life.
I don't feel that it has impacted me severely as an individual, but
I think it has helped me see what the future is to be, what the
future direction of the course of man will be. I've not been embittered
with stories and experiences of prejudice, nor have I really been
affected by any racial identifications, pejoratives, slurs, or anything.
I have simply been blessed with a marvelous and unique trait which will
help me figure out what the meaning of life and what the importance
of life is to me and the human race. With this, I could not be happier.